Loughborough UCCE Friendly at Trent Bridge Draw

Day 3

Play started on time under floodlights but at the fall of the day's first wicket after just 15 minutes, the covers were called into action.

Lunch was taken at 12.30 PM Loughborough 120/3

Following an inspection at 2 PM play was called off, the game ending as a draw.

Day 2

Surendiran Shanmugam has replaced Sue Redfern. 

Just two overs were possible before rain took the players off the field and the game was called off for the day at 4.00 PM. Loughborough now 97/2

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There's no mention on Pravda that umpire Sue Redfern retired out after lunch, as did three of the Notts fifty scorers. After a wee interlude where James Middlebrook worked alone, Peter Moores took over the role of square-leg umpire.

But, should the square-leg umpire be on his phone?

Wayne Noon is now listed on live.nvplay as the match referee (he wasn't listed as such on Day 1 when I looked).

 Day 1 

As Trent Bridge Pravda says, a useful start with valuable time in the middle, ahead of the season. 

Nottinghamshire sought to assert themselves on the first day of their friendly fixture against Loughborough UCCE, declaring on 370/7 off 74 overs, before claiming two scalps in the visitors’ reply. 

All of Ben Slater, Haseeb Hameed, Lyndon James and Liam Patterson-White reached half-centuries during Notts’ charge to a commanding first-innings total, which included a total of 11 sixes.

Patterson-White took just 52 balls to reach his fifty, after Steven Mullaney and Joe Clarke had contributed healthily-paced cameos of their own. 

Jake Ball then took a wicket with the first ball of Loughborough’s innings prior to James Cronie and Ollie Meadows crafting a valuable second wicket stand, the away side closing to 95-2.

After winning the toss, Slater and Hameed shared an opening stand worth 98 - Notts largest of the day - before the former, who made 52, fell to a ripping delivery from Ramon Bailey which beat the left-hander’s outside edge and disturbed his off stump.

Throughout the day, Only Clarke (32), Mullaney (24) and Tom Moores (19) were dismissed short of fifty for Nottinghamshire, as Hameed retired not out, before James and Patterson-White followed suit. 

Olly Stone (32*) and Brett Hutton (17*) enjoyed time at the crease after tea, clubbing seven boundaries between them, before Mullaney called time on the first innings with a little over 20 overs to bowl.

It took Ball one delivery to make the breakthrough, thundering a full ball into captain Joe MacGregor’s pads. 

After a 62-run partnership between Cronie and Meadows (25) steadied the away side, the latter departed for the final wicket of the day - caught by Moores to give Luke Fletcher his first - with Cronie left unbeaten on 52.

How much play there will be on days two and three will now be governed by the weather, as when the smattering of spectators were leaving today at 6.30pm the groundstaff were busy wrapping the square up tight for the expected rain.